ESTIMATION OF CAFFEINE, THEOPHYLLINE AND THEOBROMINE IN PLANT MATERIAL.

A method for the combined estimation of caffeine, theophylline and theobromine in plant material is presented. The method involved a chloroform-ammonia extraction, separation of the bases in the chloroform extract by thin layer or paper chromatography and finally estimation of the eluted bases by spectrophotometry. Good recoveries of all three compounds were recorded. The method was used to estimate the level of these compounds in tea, coffee beans and cocoa cotyledons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]